Ethiopia diplomat jailed in UK for cannabis smuggling

Aug 2, 2012, LONDON (AFP) — A court in London on Thursday jailed an Ethiopian diplomat for trying to smuggle a large stash of cannabis through London’s Heathrow Airport.

Amelework Wondemagegne, an official at the Ethiopian embassy in Washington, had tried to claim diplomatic immunity when she was caught at the airport in April with 56 kilograms (123 pounds) of cannabis.

But Isleworth Crown Court in west London jailed her for 33 months after she admitted one count of drug smuggling.

The court had found that the 36-year-old was not entitled to immunity.

And judge Richard McGregor-Johnson told her: “The fact that you smuggled these drugs in the expectation that you would not be prosecuted if you were caught because of your diplomatic status is a significant factor in this case.”

Appeal Letter of Oromo Students of Jimma University To: The Administration of Jimma University Jimma March 2, 2015 We, the Oromo students of Jimma University, are deeply disturbed by the multifaceted repression, subjugation, political marginalization, economic exploitation, and mass and indiscriminate killings that the Oromo people are subjected to by the current TPLF/EPRDF government and […]